Detox Stew

We are detoxing this week. Period. Our bodies need a little TLC after all that fabulous food and wine we inhaled last week....

I had a huge stack of magazines staring me in the face for 3 weeks before we left - Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Whole Living, People, Nordstrom's Spring Collection, you name it. I hadn't had a second to open any of them since the new year and I was dying to get through them - thank goodness for 8 hour flights!

I found this soup recipe in my Whole Living magazine - which I love, by the way. I thought it would be the perfect detoxifier and immunity boosting meal after traveling. Not only that but winter is still in full swing, to my demise, and soup really does taste fabulous when the snow is falling and the winds are a blowin'. I made a few tweaks to this recipe - added some crushed red pepper flakes (the hubby always needs some spice) and swapped out butternut squash for sweet potatoes. There is no meat in this soup either - the mushrooms are a great substitute (and you can do this with tacos and sandwiches as well - sub out the meat with mushrooms). I used my homemade chicken stock that I had on hand and called it a day.



I served this with toasted garlic anchovy bread and could feel my body saying Thank You with the first bite.

Cheers!

Mushroom and Lima Bean Stew
Original Recipe from Whole Living Magazine
Adapted by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:

For the Soup
2 15oz cans Lima or Butter Beans (or 2 cups dried Lima Beans soaked in water)
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
8 oz. portobello mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 2lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 bay leaves
8 cups chicken stock
3-4 cups water
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups kale, stems and ribs removed, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste


For the Bread
1 loaf french bread, sliced thinly
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil

Soup
Heat EVOO in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add mushrooms. Cook until golden brown. Turn to medium high heat and add sweet potato, beans, bay leaves, stock, and water. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until potatoes are tender, about one hour. Stir in kale and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Bread
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together anchovy paste, garlic, and olive oil. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a baking rack. Spread slice of bread evenly on rack. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove and serve with soup.

Soup for the Soul

The mercury continues to drop....wah, wah, wah...

So, when mother nature gives you cold weather, you make soup. Spicy soup. And pretend you're sitting on a white sand beach while eating it in the hot sunshine. Oh wait. I mean white SNOW. Sooorrryyyy.

Remember that chicken stock I made last week?? Well, that left me with the meat from 2 whole chickens. I decided to shred up a whole bunch and throw together a soup with it. This one is really easy guys! There's not much that can beat a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day.

It's definitely good for the soul.



Spicy Bean Soup with Shredded Chicken
Recipe and Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2-3 cups shredded chicken
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
couple shakes of Tabasco (optional)
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in small dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, stirring constantly, and cook for 1 minute.



Then add the tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans. Stir and cook for a minute.



Next, add the corn (frozen is just fine), shredded chicken, and stock. Stir everything together. Season with chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and Tabasco sauce. Simmer on low heat for one hour, stirring occassionally.

Garnish with sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, cilantro, or a squeeze of lime juice.

Winter Bliss

Is there really such a thing as winter bliss?? Maybe to those that enjoy the cold and snow, but not for a girl like me that yearns for warm sunshine and green grass 24/7/365. Needless to say, these six month Minnesota winters are a little brutal for me. I'd honestly rather be here:



Thank goodness for this recipe - Ina Garten's Homemade Chicken Stock. This, my friends, is winter bliss. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful your home will smell. Not only that, but you will have enough stock to last you at least a couple months, so bring on the soups and cassoulets. My mouth is watering just thinking about the possibilities.

If you didn't already know, homemade stock is sooo much better than store bought. The flavor it adds to dishes is unparalled in comparison to the stuff in the box. Sure, store bought does the job, but you have no idea what you're missing until you try it homemade. Heaven on Earth.

As with everything else in cooking, this is only as good as what you put in it. I usually try to use all organic ingredients when making this, especially the chicken. In the summer and fall, I use the veggies from our CSA. Throw it all in the pot and let it simmer away for hours on the stove top.



I seriously hope you try this. It warms the heart and soul on a cold winter day when you can't be basking in the sun on the beach.

Chicken Stock
Original Recipe by Ina Garten
Adapted by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

**I have adjusted this recipe down to the amount of ingredients that would fit in my 11qt stock pot. Adjust as needed for your own stock pot. I also omitted the parsnips.

Ingredients Needed:
2 5lb organic roasting chickens
2 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
4 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into thirds
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
3 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half (optional)
20 sprigs fresh parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
15 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp whole black peppercorns

Place chicken, onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper in a stock pot.



Add enough water so there is about a half inch left at the top of the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 3 hours.



Remove the chickens from the pot and place in separate bowl. Then, strain the remaining contents through a colander into a very large bowl (one that can withstand high heat temp) and discard the solids. The chicken can be saved for future use - shred it for tacos, cube it for soups and salads, etc.





Then, with a small wire strainer, scoop any remaining follicles of herb or chicken that may still exist in the stock.



Using a ladle, pour stock into storage container/s of your choice. Chill stock overnight and remove surface fat the next day. Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.